Data & Analytics

New York - L.L. Bean had the overall best customer service performance in May, the second time the retailer has topped the list in the past three months. According to monthly benchmark analysis from customer service analysis provider StellaService, L.L. Bean’s performance was strong in nearly every area — fourth in phone, sixth in email, eighth in chat and fourth in returns/refunds.

New York - Barnes & Noble Inc. plans to spin off its Nook e-reader unit as a separately traded public company from its retail operation by the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2016. The retailer made this decision as its consolidated net loss for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 shrank from $114.8 million to $36.7 million, missing Wall Street estimates.

Austin, Texas – Whole Foods Market Inc. is being fined about $800,000 for charging excessive prices in California. Inspections of Whole Foods and Mrs. Gooch’s stores in the state revealed that the retailer was charging for the weight of salad bar containers, selling prepared foods by the item rather than the pound, and labeling items as heavier than their actual weight.

Dedham, Mass. - Reflexis Systems Inc. today announced the appointment of Brett Friedman as senior VP of global sales and marketing. He will be responsible for expanding the Reflexis global sales team and building upon the company’s growth.

Friedman brings 15 years of sales and marketing experience and joins Reflexis from Infor, where he had global revenue responsibility for supply chain and PLM solutions. Prior to Infor, he was senior VP of global sales at Allegro Development and has also held leadership positions at SAP and i2 Technologies.

Boston – Six-in-10 (59%) Millennial women make product recommendations to share highly positive or negative consumer experiences. However, according to a new survey of 1,100 American women without children born between 1979 and 1993 by Mom Central Consulting, 50% say that reading a bad review online about a business wouldn’t stop them from shopping/visiting.

The bad weather that hurt Bed Bath & Beyond during the fourth quarter may have abated, but the company’s sales still grew at a slower than expected pace during the first quarter and caused profits to come in toward the low end of expectations.

San Jose, Calif. – Researchers at computer security firm Duo Security have discovered a flaw in the two-step method PayPal uses to authenticate account-holders. The flaw involves a temporary security key PayPal users can generate with a personal device as an additional step along with their password for account log-in.

When it comes to display merchandise solutions, most retailers are looking for more space and versatility. Uniweb has dedicated itself to providing both since making its debut in 1970. Company president Cindy Davidson discussed general trends in fixturing and what sets Uniweb, which prides itself as a made-in-America manufacturer, apart from the competition.